Apple iPhone X India launch on Nov 3 with Rs 89,000 price tag

Apple announced its much-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone called 'iPhone X', a redesigned product of glass and stainless steel with an edge-to-edge display.ETtech | Updated: September 13, 2017, 03:16 IST

Apple announced its much-anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone called 'iPhone X', a redesigned product of glass and stainless steel with an edge-to-edge display that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook called "the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone."

The iPhone X has an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch "super retina" display that has improved resolution, and uses facial recognition to unlock the device, thereby replacing the fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone.

The home button found on previous iPhones is also gone, and users will instead have to tap the device to wake it up.

But in an embarrassing moment for Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi, the face ID unlocking did not work on his first attempt during the on-stage presentation.

The phone will also feature wireless charging, based on Qi open wireless standard. The phone will be available in 64GB and 256 GB models and is expected to be available on pre-orders in India from October 27, with availability a week later on November 3 with a price tag of Rs 89,000. In the United States, the phone is priced at $999 onwards.

The screen on the iPhone X is about the size of the current iPhone 7 plus, though the phone itself is smaller. It features richer colors thanks to a new technology called OLED that other vendors such as Samsung are also rolling out.

Apple also developed what it called an A11 Bionic chip and uses its FaceID to unlock, authenticate and pay via the Apple Pay mobile payments system.

Moorhead said the handset "is not just a late copy of the competition. Apple did it their way by perfecting the experience, and on their timeframe."

Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research called the iPhone X "a far bigger upgrade" than previous devices, but questioned whether Apple was stretching its market too thin.

The new iPhone X - pronounced 10 - "is going to be the object of desire for many users, and the challenge for Apple will be whether they've done enough to make the iPhone 8 range compelling," Dawson said in a blog post. ​"What Apple doesn't want is for people to want the best but not be able to afford it and therefore hold onto their existing phones rather than buying what they consider second best."

New Display

Apple is touting the edge-to-edge OLED display - the organic light-emitting diodes used in high-end televisions - as the key design feature to win over customers.

"For more than a decade, our intention has been to create an iPhone that is all display," Apple chief designer Jony Ive said in a statement. "The iPhone X is the realization of that vision."

Apart from this, Apple also introduced the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, which resemble the iPhone 7 lineup but has a glass back for wireless charging. Apple also previewed its own charging mat, the AirPower, that can charge iPhone 8, iPhone X, Series 3 watch and AirPods headphones. The mat would be available from next year.

The company also introduced an upgraded Apple Watch, which can make phone calls and access the Internet without the user carrying an iPhone. The Series 3 watch will be available in India at prices starting Rs 29,900.

Apple did not provide sales figures for its watches, but Cook said sales had risen 50% from the year before and claimed that the Apple Watch was now the best-selling watch in the world.

Gene Munster, an analyst with Loup Ventures, believes sales of the watch could double or even triple because of the new connectivity.

The upgraded Apple TV will support the high resolution display known as 4K and will also feature more programming options as Apple steps up its efforts to cut content deals and produce its own shows.

Flashy new Spaceship Campus

Cook opened the event at the Steve Jobs Auditorium on Apple's new spaceship-like campus with a tribute to the company's co-founder and former CEO Jobs, who died in 2011.

The Apple building itself was considered to be Jobs' final product, and Cook spent a few minutes boasting about the design, energy-saving features and public spaces at the new campus, including a flagship Apple Store.

The theater, never before open to the public, features an expansive glass-enclosed lobby, with two massive white stone staircases leading down to the auditorium. Inside, the decor is similar to that of Apple's stores, with hard maple flooring and tan leather seats.